Harry Potter and Apollo's Light
by Alexandal137
Summary: Something strange happened in the graveyard that night. No one knows how or why but that's merely details. !quirky Harry
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and Apollo's Light

Chapter 1

Harry Potter. Raven haired, emerald eyed 15 year old wizard was currently bed ridden with a fever that had sky rocketed, ending up with him in the Hospital Wing after a disastrous 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that had ended with being a witness to a friend's death.

The recently completed Triwizard Tournament had been a complete disaster for Harry, at least in regards to his social life. He was seriously contemplating why he tried to be friendly to the most gossip mongering group of teenagers he figured existed in his generation. He was before his fever anyway.

Lying in bed was all he had managed to accomplish in the 2 days he had been back in this prison. He was going stir crazy from simply lying there with nothing to do. At least when the tournament was on he was able to read or fly but now, well now there was little to no choice under the stern gaze of The Matron.

He turned to lay on his side with a groan as a spasm rocketed through his body and his palms started to glow. He didn't notice though as he was curled up in a ball with only his head above the blankets. He put the spasms down to the torture he went through a few days ago and grimaced as he involuntarily recalled the events that had happened.

As Harry lay on the bed with a plaque that stated that it was the bed specifically for him, a beam of light slowly made its way up the bed until it was directly in his eyes. Harry started cursing as he could barely lift his arms and here he was struggling to block the light from blinding him. Oh how he wished the sun would shine anywhere but his face.

With shaking arms he heaved himself up until he rested his back against the headboard and dropped his arms down on top of the covers. He stared at the result of his change in position before calling out to who he hoped was in her office.

"Madam Pomphrey!"

A middle aged woman came out of a door in the corner insufferably slow in Harry's opinion, with his brain only just starting back up along with his panic.

"What is it Potter? I've told you before, no visitors for at least 3…"

Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as she stared at the glowing palms of her patient.

"What…?"

That was not reassuring Harry in any way. Any way at all.

"What do you mean what? Do something!?" His voice sounded a bit too high for his liking at that moment but what else is he supposed to do when his hands were glowing. Honest to goodness glowing. If he looked at it from a certain way it was almost as if the sunlight was curving into his palms. As if it wanted to be released.

With that idle thought all the pent up energy that had been slowly dammed inside his body shot out of his palms and up into the ceiling. The two of them looked at the twin holes in the roof then back at each other before they each grabbed a pillow, with one attacking and one defending.

"Now really Mr Potter?! Holes in the roof? Even by your standards this is ridiculous!" Madam Pomphrey shouted at him as she tried to whack the cowering boy with the pillow in hand.

"It's not like I did it on purpose! Honest! In what way am I supposed to know that I can shoot beams from my hands? As my Healer isn't that the sort of thing you're supposed to tell me I can do?" Harry's muffled yell came from behind the pillow he was using as a sort of head guard.

Pomphrey merely sighed and waited until he raised his head, clearly giving off the impression that the danger was over before doing an elegant twirl and nailing him in the throat with her pillow.

"You can sit there while I go and repair the ceiling and then we'll see what happened."

He was about to protest but thought better of it when his recently whacked throat began to twinge once more. He placed the pillow behind his back once more and settled in for a wait, knowing she would move slower the more he rushed her.

* * *

He took a deep breath and released it as he sagged into his pillow before frowning and taking another breath. Harry looked around in confusion and continued to take deep and exaggerated breaths as he tried to figure out why nothing hurt. Adding twists and bending into odd shapes to his breathing proved to make no difference except one which he realized when he heard someone, a female, cough delicately trying to catch his attention.

Startled, he looked up from where he had bent his torso to the side while still lying on the bed with his legs straight, giving him a sideways view of who had just coughed.

"Greengrass." Harry spoke, still tilted to the side. The thought of straightening up hadn't occurred to him just yet so there he was, bent in an odd way, staring at the elegant year mate standing before him.

"Potter. What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Her voice was strangely blank, as if she was trying to reign in all her emotions that gave her the 'Ice Queen' moniker but the bizarre sight before her was too much for her to handle.

"Breathing?" His voice was confused as he pondered why she was asking something so obvious.

"Breathing?" She deadpanned at his tone. "Are you absolutely sure you're breathing?"

"Yes…?" Harry was starting to get woozy, and the cramp in his side was starting to hurt.

"Oh for Merlin's sake. Get up before you hit the ground. You'd think you would take better care of yourself after what you've been through but obviously not. Also have you seen Madam Pomphrey?" Greengrass rattled off as she rushed forward to push him up once more.

Harry looked at her oddly as he accepted the help up. It was odd, he decided, getting help from another person after a year in near isolation. The only people that had helped him in the year were Hermione and Pomphrey. The former helping him with the tasks and the latter patching him up from the formers help. As enthusiastic as Hermione was, she didn't hold back, whether it was verbally or magically.

"She's in her office. Should be back out by now but no… It's just Harry so let's take our time since he isn't going anywhere. It's not like he has anything to worry about." He tried to scowl as he said all this but all he managed was a sulky looking pout as he looked up.

Greengrass, also known as Daphne, followed his gaze and looked into the twin holes in the ceiling that had slowly covered his bed in plaster. She looked down at Harry and back up a few times as if confirming something in her mind. There was no doubt in her mind that he caused this and upon reaching this conclusion walked over to the far side of the next bed over, covered her mouth with her hands and started giggling. The quirkiness of Harry Potter finally getting to her.

Harry looked at her in confusion, simply unable to understand what was so funny. He caught her gaze as she turned to look at him once more, with a sad puppy pout before what was left of her restraint cracked and she was cackling merrily on the bed before rolling over and landing on the floor with a thud that did nothing to stop her laughing, if not provoking it even more.

'Girls are weird…' was the only thought running through his mind as he listened to the breathy wheezing that came from where he couldn't see and the rustle of cloth as the sound rolled on the floor before there was a meaty thud.

It was at this point that Madam Pomphrey came back with her wand in hand, having decided that Harry had suffered enough.

When she saw the blonde slytherin girl on the floor, wheezing and holding her forehead she merely sighed and started waving her wand over Harry, having decided that he was the cause in some way or another.

"When you are finished Miss Greengrass, kindly join us so I can figure out if I can help you or not…" Pomphrey deadpanned, as the gently giggling girl slowly rose to her feet and took a seat once more on the bed, this time facing the pair.

Harry focused his attention on the waving wand of wood and wondered if this was what it felt like to be on one of those comedy shows that Dudley enjoyed watching.

"So…" Harry started, wondering just how the matron was going to break the latest news in the wacky world of Harry Potter.

"So indeed, Mr Potter. From what I can tell from your results, this can only be a result of a unique set of circumstances that could not have happened to anyone but yourself."

"You have no clue then?"

"Not a bit." She was oddly upbeat about this and the cheery atmosphere of chirpy healer, giggling girl and blasted sunlight that would not go away infected Harry in the way it infected everyone else. "On a side note, your fever seems to have gone and you have little to no bruising from what happened in the tournament."

There was a brief pause as Harry digested that piece of news before deciding to try his luck.

"Can I go then?" He asked in a hopeful manner with a gaze that reminded the two females of a puppy wanting a treat.

Pomphrey contemplated this for a moment before deciding.

"Let me check on what Miss Greengrass wants and then I'll let you go, but not until then!" Her tone was warm as she had said this but had chilleded by the time she finished as he had already thrown off the covers of the bed.

Under her steely gaze he slowly pulled the covers back up to avoid her wrath and held still as if she wouldn't see him if he didn't move a muscle.

When she was satisfied with his response, she turned to Daphne and her voice took a more welcoming lilt to it.

"Now what seems to be the problem Miss Greengrass?"

Harry made a partly choking, partly offended and partly whiny sound that was cut off when she turned her attention back on him and raised the pillow that she had still carried for some reason. It did its job as he feared her skills in pillow-fu that was spoken about in the more accident-prone circles of Hogwarts, namely the Quidditch players, but no one paid attention to who had started the rumor, only that she was highly skilled.

"I'm fine Madam Pomphrey. I had a headache but it's gone now. It must be the sunlight since I was down in the dungeons before I came up here."

All three of them noted the jab at Harry who still had the blasted beam of light in his face, only it had shrunk until it was a small dot that rested in the middle of his glasses. It was no longer shining directly in his eyes but he could still see it when he went cross-eyed and by Merlin was it infuriating him.

"Freedom?" Harry's voice could not sound more hopeful as he pleaded with his eyes to the matron.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before agreeing.

"Yes Potter. Freedom."

He wasted no time in escaping the prison of two or three days as he threw off his covers, grabbed Daphne's hand and pulled her so hard and fast her feet left the ground.

"Thanks Madam Pomphrey. See you next year and all that jazz. Hope you have a good holiday." Each thing he said became softer as he moved further away, leaving the matron to shake her head before spinning twice in a circle and throwing the pillow away, letting it bounce off the opposite wall, closing the curtains before falling to gently land on the head space of the bed she had taken it from.

"Potter! POTTER! PUT ME DOWN!" Daphne's voice echoed throughout the halls, causing the few people who were walking around the corridors to look over at them to see what was going on. When they noticed that it was merely Harry, making his most recent attempt at escaping from the Hospital Wing, as one turned away and carried on their business. Potter's quirkiness was contagious. Enough said.

Said escapist slowed, turned and caught the girl in a bridal carry in a single smooth move that had the girl in question and the few other girls in the vicinity blushing before he did something that caused a simultaneous face-palm to everyone except the two in question.

"Okay!" Harry chirped, too hyped up from being released from the Hospital Wing before literally dropping her like a sack onto the floor. The thud of Daphne hitting the ground covered the sound of the face-palms but caused Harry to look around in confusion at the echo but everyone had continued to move on as if they hadn't stopped to see what he did. He could hear the snickers though.

"Did I miss a joke?" He mused aloud while stroking his chin, before feeling an almost literal wave of cold terror that set his hair raising, quite literally in fact.

"Potter." A single word stopped him cold before he slowly began taking steps backwards, attempting to look anywhere except the lone girl who stood there with hands on her hips, blonde hair cascading down her back, stopping short just above the small of her back.

Daphne's stance was cold, her demeanour in terror mode and mask firmly in place as she advanced on the quirky, absolutely terrified adolescent who promptly turned and sprinted away, screaming at the top of his lungs to the safety of Gryffindor Tower.

He was gone before her fifth step and so Daphne was left there, mentally screaming about revenge and how dare he drop her and the fact that she had spent time with Harry Potter, not the Golden boy of Gryffindor uninterrupted.

After everything that happened Daphne couldn't help herself and started cackling like crazy in the hallway, before turning and humming cheerfully as she had reached her quota of terrifying a single person each day as she went to tell her best friend and little sister everything that happened in the most likely weirdest hour she had ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter and Apollo's Light

Chapter 2

It was an unusual summer for Harry. No questions about it and he felt he had taken it in stride. For one reason or another he had not been asked to do a staggering amount of chores while at the Dursley residence and that in itself had been odd, but that hadn't been the weirdest thing to happen.

He hadn't noticed it at all, but others certainly had yet had not said a word. Harry seemed to have a certain glow about him whenever he went outside, like sparkles that seemed to coalesce around his head that had heads turning, almost like a halo. To Harry though, there always seemed to be something flying around his head that had him waving his arms around trying to get rid of whatever was irritating him.

It was almost comical the way he walked down the street, flailing his arms around like an overly enthusiastic conductor, albeit in an absent minded manner.

Everything normal had to have an end at some point and it was a few weeks into summer when it happened to Harry. He had taken a wrong turn somewhere in London, where was questionable but he figured he'd be fine when he ended up in front of a not so well kept storefront with a barely hanging sign that said 'Music is Magic'.

Curiosity peaked and he gave in to the desire to enter, not that it would have stopped him anyway. The curiosity of Harry Potter was legendary in certain circles and Gryffindor was a lion and lions were cats and cats were curious after all.

The door creaked open and as he first stepped inside, the dirty store changed to a neatly arranged clutter that resonated within Harry. The mess of Harry Potter was also legendary, only in different circles. He had once entered the kitchens for something to eat and had been witness to something of a gladiator's ring made of old furniture with a pin board that clearly stated that 'the winner would be able to clean up the mess of Harry Potter for a month'. All motion had stilled when he entered and only restarted when he took a seat at a table and packed a plate of food before walking out again.

As he wandered around the store his attention jumped from display to display. Woodwind. Brass. Strings. Pianos. All miniaturized with signs that guaranteed working order when resized or money back. Yet nothing spoke to him. Well they did. Trying to get him to buy them but he brushed them off like he brushed everyone off, unintentionally of course. He wasn't rude after all.

His curiosity had almost run out when he abruptly turned and smacked his head on a floating ring that had drifted over, causing it to ring out almost as if in shock before another 13 cymbals of differing size floated over and surrounded the initial one, almost as if checking to see if it was alright.

Harry was staring in disbelieving delight and it was as if they seemed to stare back at him in similar surprise before one slowly, almost hesitantly drifted forward and he tapped it with a finger. A clear ringing sound resonated in the store and he smiled no grinned at the joy he felt when the sound slowly faded, leaving him feeling joyful.

''Music is Magic' indeed.' Harry thought to himself. He was determined to purchase the cymbal like rings and gestured to them to follow, even though they were non-sentient and in a true Potter fashion, said items turned to follow him to the counter.

As he looked around searching for a salesman but not noticing anyone he noticed a box that said input galleons here. Well not so much said as in pointed with giant arrows into a hole which he figured was a safe of some sort below it. Harry shrugged and dropped the money in and took the receipt that was magically written up based on how much money he had put in. When the full price had been paid he merely took the receipt and walked away while the rings seemed to shrink until it looked like a pair of ribbed bracers which he slid onto his wrists.

Harry walked away from the store, satisfied with his purchase and the rings seemed to vibrate in joy that felt like music rising and falling inside his body. With an appropriate focus and a suitable form of release, the light no longer looked like a halo and appeared more like floating notes as he walked, leaving a trail that seemed to hum in time with the music echoing inside of him.

He himself hadn't noticed the entire way home that he had a line of musical notes following him like ducklings following their mother, and the sheer weirdness of Harry Potter in general had resulted in no one else noticing either.

* * *

As Harry re-entered Number 4 Privet Drive, he was startled by a shriek from his aunt. He whirled, drawing his wand, thinking they were under attack when he froze and stared at what seemed to be a gathering of the ladies of Privet Drive over for dinner. The notes that had followed him had frozen as well and seemed to wilt before fading at the disbelieving stares that were now sorely focused on the unique boy.

"Hello?" Harry probed, thinking that he may or may not have slightly broken the Statute of Secrecy.

"What on earth was that?" shrieked out one of the ladies. Number 8 if he wasn't mistaken. The other ladies soon followed and he felt like he was about to be interrogated. He hummed and hawed as he tried to think of a proper response to such a loaded question before mentally shrugging and deciding what the hell.

"Music is Magic?" His reply was short and sweet before he turned and walked up to his room and closing the door. The other ladies simply looked at Petunia and she merely sighed and shook her head. All too used to the hurricane of absurdity that was Harry Potter. She couldn't even be bothered to attempt to punish him as everything weird seemed determined to happen to Harry whether he was punished or not.

In his room Harry was surrounded by the 14 floating rings he had purchased earlier and was about to tap one of them before common sense returned to him and he got up to lock the door. Then he sat down on his bed and tapped one, one of the middle sized one and it seemed as if the size determined its frequency because a lovely note rang out, not too high or low, the perfect middle ground.

He began to tap each one to learn where each ring stood in the scale and soon enough he had figured out the pattern to make a tune. He was a genius in his own right, after all, he just preferred to let Hermione take the spot light. Thinking of Hermione brought to mind his owl, Hedwig and all her snowy glory and where she was. It shouldn't have taken that long to bring a reply, not when she's made the trip before in hours.

Harry merely sighed and sat back against his pillow, while the rings rearranged themselves into a hexagonal shape with a ring in the middle and he played. It wasn't something amazingly difficult but it was better than a beginner should be when they first start but hey, he was a genius after all. All he needed was experience. At first it was clunky and clogged but soon after the tones became smooth and lilted as he got more and more into it.

As he continued to play, the notes and the rings themselves slowly gained more colour until they were all vibrant and eye-catching. Soon enough Harry's room was awash with colours as the notes seemed to dance in the air before splashing against the wall and leaving coloured imprints that brightened up his room.

One thing he noticed was that there were 7 colors yet they seemed to be polar opposites. There were reds, blues, greens, browns, yellows and silvers all over the place yet they seemed to only be outlined in white or black.

By the time the tune finished his worries had vanished, knowing that his faithful owl could look after herself and that panicking would do neither of them any good. Deep down he knew she was ok and that was all that mattered.

Harry decided to take another walk but before he could get out of his room there was an urgent tapping on his window. Hoping it was Hedwig he looked up only to notice that it was not his graceful owl but a regal one bearing the mark of Gringotts.

He opened the window and thanked the owl, retrieving the letter while doing so. Courtesy was a big thing after all.

Skimming through the letter he noted several key words. Marriage contract. Greengrass. Potter. Appointment. Utmost convenience.

Upon reaching the end of the letter he sighed. No walk for him it seemed.

He gestured with his wrists, the rings merging back into his bracers and settling on his forearms as he changed into more comfortable clothes of jeans and a button down navy blue shirt. Satisfied with his outfit he went downstairs and informed his aunt of what was happening.

"I'm going out."

It was all he felt was necessary and as he walked out the front door he could feel his aunt sigh and shake her head, the ladies still gathered seemed resigned that instead of being a delinquent like they had been told about he was quirky and perhaps being a delinquent was a better option than the unusual storm that he was.

* * *

He made his way to the park where there was an unused car park, which lay bare, only filled during the weekend for the weekly sports games. Harry threw up his right hand and waited for that familiar bang that signaled that the Knight Bus had arrived.

Climbing the steps he declined the extras that were offered and merely stated that he would like to go to Diagon Alley before handing over the correct fare and sitting down. With another bang the bus shot forward and he was on his way to determine what was happening with his life.

He arrived at his destination shortly after he had left, there being little to no other patrons in line before him. Striding down the steps and entering the Leaky Cauldron, he walked through the pub and nodded to Tom, the ever present owner before pulling out his wand and tapping the correct bricks to open up the archway.

The bank was as empty as the Knight Bus and he walked up to an available teller, resigned to the fact that something else weird was going to happen to his life.

"Harry Potter to speak with the Potter account manager. I was requested to attend at my utmost convenience so here I am." His voice was bland as was his expression, body language detailing his resignation.

The teller gave him a feral grin, as if he knew what was going to happen and enjoyed sending him to his proverbial death.

"Right this way Mr Potter. Might I perhaps take a chance to extend my congratulations?" That smug grin did little more than twitch one of his eyebrows and he expressed his irritation with the only way he knew was appropriate in this manner.

"Thanks…"

The sarcasm was palpable and the goblin seemed to enjoy the banter as a fire seemed to light in his eyes as he led the way through the brightly lit corridor.

"Through here Mr Potter."

Said goblin still had that insufferable smirk as he stopped beside a door that had a plaque stating that it was the Potter Account Manager on it.

Harry simply ignored the goblin and strode through the door, sitting down at one the available chairs.

"Mr Potter. Harry. If I may call you Harry? My name is Brassballs and I am pleased to inform you that you are to be engaged to one Daphne Greengrass once you take up your Lordship. Here's the ring. Put it on and everything will be finalized."

The goblin had that same infuriating grin that the teller had and Harry felt that it was rather infectious as he had also started to smile upon hearing his name.

"You certainly live up to your name. Before I do accept the ring and all it entails I'd to like to know the basis of the contract."

"Of course. The initiator of the contract was one Henry Potter. I believe he did it on a lark as he and his brother in name Alfred Greengrass even made a poem of sorts of it."

" **Here we stand  
upon this land,  
To pledge this contract  
upon first contact  
of a certain nature and  
that it shall nurture  
after 10 generations  
forever more  
No more and no less.**"

Harry was left staring in disbelief at what could possibly have been the most ridiculous marriage contract he had ever seen. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts.

"What…"

He felt that single word summed up everything he was feeling at the moment. Another was one that he felt was entirely inappropriate and decided not to say as the feeling of it was something the both of them knew.

"There are few conditions attached to this contract only that it is unbreakable and must be fulfilled. We will send out a notice as soon as this meeting is concluded if it suits your Lordship."

Brassballs nudged the ring box as he said the final piece of what he had to say. Harry felt as if he had practiced those two lines because his grin was starting to wear on his patience.

"Brassballs is a fitting name. Very well. Send out the notice whenever you wish. On a lark indeed…" Harry was resigned to the fact that this was happening whether he liked it or not and slipped on the ring. It resized itself to fit his finger and that was that.

"If there is nothing else then I shall be leaving."

At Brassballs nod of dismissal, Harry stood up from his chair and strode out the door, ignoring the sniggering that came from behind him.

He was beginning to think that chaos followed him wherever he went and that this trait was hereditary based on the stories he had heard about his father and grandfather.

* * *

Slouching his way back through the Cauldron he threw up his hand once more and requested a ride back to the park he left from. Two quick bangs and he was soon standing at the edge of the park as the bus shot off into the distance. The only differences between when he left and now was the shiny ring on his finger and the unnatural chill in the air.

Harry started the trek back to his summer residence with a shudder throughout his body as he slowly made his way down the empty street. He passed Dudley and his gang and merely raised a hand in greeting before continuing to plod his way back to his bed. The group were confused at his changed reaction and were contemplating confronting him but decided it wasn't worth it and made their way home. Quickly but would deny it if anyone asked.

Dudley was confused by everyone's reactions but slowly made his way to Harry's side before falling into step with the world weary Harry.

"So where did you go?" He was hesitant to ask as they hadn't really acted on friendly terms, ever if he recalled correctly. The silence that followed his question was as chilling and awkward as the mist around them and it took Harry a bit of distance to answer, mainly thinking about how to word his reply.

"I went to find out that I'm getting married thanks to a jerk of an ancestor."

The awkward silence returned as it was Dudley's turn to think of how to reply. Just as he was about to Harry suddenly froze.

"Dudley. No matter what happens stay close and keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?" Harry's tone was not the weary young man, nor was he the quirky youth that was chaos personified. This was the voice of someone who had constantly survived danger and knew how to react to everything because of it.

The pair of young men continued to walk down the street, slowly, waiting for whatever put Harry on edge to reveal itself.

The source soon revealed itself to be a pair of dementors, coming down the street from each side.

Harry quickly searched inside himself and focused on the joy of music that his bracer-rings had given him and summoned forth a patronus that was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a series of rings of pulsing white light that differed in size and which moved until the two young men were surrounded in a barrier of white light.

The dementors screeched in fury and swooped in only to be repelled with a loud gong. On and on the dementors swooped in fury and each time they were repelled, both they and Harry were getting weaker. It was becoming a contest of who had the most stamina. Harry and his patronus or the dementors who were determined to get the snacks waiting for them.

Step by step they walked towards their place of residence and with each step Harry's stamina was draining at an alarming pace. The sounds were getting weaker and when there was the barest of echos from the latest point of contact, Dudley began to get worried.

Deciding to take action, Dudley swept Harry into a fireman's carry and began sprinting the final stretch with the quickly fading rings floating all around them.

With a twin pair of triumphant screeches the dementors swooped down to claim their meal only to release very different screeches as they came into contact with the blood wards from Harry's mother. The wards which had been barely powered until recently looked like a cloud of crimson light that swirled and rippled with flashes of blues, yellows, silvers, browns and greens.

Panting, Dudley burst through the door to the living room where he gently deposited Harry onto the couch and frantically called for his parents to help. When they came rushing into the living room, whatever they were expecting was the exact opposite.

What was expected was an angry Harry and scared Dudley but what they found was a bone-white, almost collapsed Harry resting on the sofa and a concerned Dudley pacing around the living room in anxiety.

"What happened Duddiekins?" Petunia's voice was laced with anxious concern for her son and not so anxious concern for her nephew. Vernon merely stood there in the doorway, looking as if his world had been turned upside down and he had no idea what to do or how to deal with it.

"He saved me." Dudley voice was bland yet his body language was protective and cautious, as if he was unsure about what was going to happen.

"Save you? What on earth could he have saved you from?" Vernon bit out from the doorway, less venomous than usual so Dudley decided to take that as a plus.

The silence was deafening. How did you explain something like that to someone who has never experienced it before?

"Dementors." Harry bit out, still pale but not as white as earlier. He felt more relaxed and welcome which was a surprising change as it had always been as if something in the house was fighting him. Over him at least. He figured that it was the magical red dome trying to help him as it had felt comforting when he had crossed over the threshold into its protection.

He was about to continue his explanation to break the silence when an owl swooped in and landed in front of him with a letter on its leg.

He sighed once more and skimmed through the letter, noting any key words like he did with the missive from Gringotts. Trial. Statute of Secrecy. Expelled from Hogwarts. When he had finished he said the one word that summed up both the letter and everything he had been feeling today. Fuck.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Potter and Apollo's Light

Chapter 3

When your hero is needed for a trial, all need for secrecy is out the window apparently. After receiving the initial letter summoning him to a trial at some point there were a flurry of other letter telling him to be safe, stay there, Dumbledore will fix everything. Harry just stared at the growing pile of letters in trepidation as if they would merge together into a book and attempt to bite him.

In his defense, that had only happened once and boy was Hermione unhappy when it did. The Gryffindors who were there called it the Study-Stress-Scenario. It wasn't Harry's fault in any way. It was all Hermione. He was just there and so got the blame. Everyone who was asking about it was told that it was Harry's fault but that wasn't his fault. It really wasn't.

Hoping to avoid another SSS he skimmed through each letter, memorized each important bit and burned them all in the fireplace, watching with glee as they burned. He was lucky that he did as he could have sworn he saw some parchment roll up and twitch before starting to burn.

The Dursley's were left in a state of disbelief as they watched Harry start to get up and move about as if he had a mission. He did though so it was understandable. His mission was to not get arrested in any shape or form and boy was it exhilarating.

He went up to his room and his bracers chimed in a rising scale before falling once more in what seemed to be an attempt at reassurance and seemed to purr when he stroked them in thanks.

Harry packed everything in a flurry of movement and strode down the hallway before carefully lifting his trunk down the stairs. He would hate to leave scuff marks on the stairs. Those never go away. Walking up to the door he left his trunk there before turning back to the living room where his relatives were sitting now, getting used to the shock of a motivated Harry.

"So… I'll just be going then. See you next summer?"

No one responded for a few seconds before Vernon came to himself with a shake of his head and a snort. He nodded at Harry and everything he felt was conveyed in that one action. Thank you. Good luck. See you later. You've done well.

Harry nodded back and moved back to his trunk and leaving the house for the rest of the year, striding forward up the garden path with his back straight and head high. Perhaps a tad too high because he ended up sneezing quite hard and going backwards and tripping over his trunk.

He found it quite amusing and ended up just laying there, sprawled on his trunk giggling like a maniac while the few people on the streets who saw it happen just watched in disbelief.

Getting up and sitting on his trunk, Harry contemplated on what to do next. He had a general goal and no idea on what to do next. He hummed and hawed as he thought, idly tapping a finger against his chin as if it was the most difficult puzzle in the world. Deciding that this wasn't an appropriate place to think he pulled his trunk to the curb and summoned the Knight Bus.

BANG!

He pulled his trunk onto the bus and fished out some coins.

"Take me to some grim and old place before 12. Thanks." Harry's back was to the conductor as he struggled to pull his trunk up the stairs so it was slightly muffled and to the conductor it sounded like he had said Grimmauld Place number 12.

BANG!

The bus had taken off so fast that Harry ended up tumbling sideways over his trunk that he had just gotten onto the same level as him and boy was he regretting that decision. He wobbled as he climbed to his feet and clambered onto a bed as it made its journey up and down the bus alongside all the others.

With one final bang the bus arrived at somewhere Harry didn't recognize.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place." The conductor announced, startling Harry as he hadn't really focused on where he was going.

'It's certainly grim and old.' Harry thought and decided that this was as good a place as any to get off and think. Thus, he dragged his trunk off the bus and watched it take off before making his way to the house that suddenly appeared out of nowhere as he got closer.

He contemplated the wisdom of his decision for a short moment. A very short moment before deciding what the hell. He walked up to the door and was stuck with the very difficult decision of whether he should ring the doorbell or knock.

Deciding on knocking he rapped on the door in three short sharp snaps of his knuckles against the aged wood and waited.

Everything was silent for a minute before he heard someone approach the door and opening it cautiously. To both their surprise He was face to face with Mrs Weasley, red-haired motherlord of the Weasley gang.

"Harry?"

"Mrs Weasley?"

"Harry!"

"Mrs Weasley"

"HARRY!"

"MRS WEASLEY!"

"HA- No we aren't doing this. Come inside. Quickly. What on earth are you doing here?" Mrs Weasleys mothering instincts took over for a second as she seriously considered that she and Harry would continue to shout each other's names for who knows how long.

"I asked for somewhere grim and old by 12 and here I am." Harry cheerfully replied as he moved into the dark hallway.

Molly stood there, stunned at the most absurd explanation at how he got past the fidelius charm cast on the house before remembering where she was and checked outside to see no one was watching before closing the door.

She hustled him down to the kitchen and heated up some soup which she placed down in front of Harry before moving to fetch some meat and bread.

Harry was grateful for the food as it had been a while since he had last eaten. He looked around the kitchen and watched in fascination as food and cutlery seemed to fly around of their own accord, fetching his bread and meat that he devoured as soon as it landed in front of him.

Harry had just finished his second plate of food when Sirius came barging into the kitchen looking panicked.

"Harry?"

"Sirius?"

"Harry!"

"Sirius!"

"HARRY!"

"SIRIUS!"

"HARRY!"

"SIRIUS!"

"Don't you dare continue or so help me…" Molly hissed out in annoyance. Both males closed their mouths with a snap as they had certainly been about to continue. That might have been because of the metaphorical aura of fire that they were feeling. Neither was very sure at the moment.

Sirius turned back to Harry to ask how he had gotten there but all that was left was a faint outline of Harry's body shape that seemed to hold itself in place before coalescing into a shower of sparkles. He turned to Molly to ask where he had gone when they heard shouting from upstairs.

"Harry?"

"Ron?"

"Harry!"

"Ron!"

"HARRY!"

"RON!"

"HARRY!"

"OWL STEALER!"

That one stopped everyone short and Hermione looked vaguely hurt that he had called her that but Harry was looking adamant.

"Where. Is. She." He was practically hissing at her, wanting to see his beloved owl and making sure the evil owl catchers hadn't harmed her.

Hermione's body language was meek and she merely turned and led him to the room that she and Ginny were apparently sharing. Harry heard a cage open and rushed forward with his arms out when he saw Ginny exiting the room.

With the sight of Harry rushing forward with his arms out at her, Ginny lost all rational thought and held her arms open as if it was a fantasy. Said fantasy crumbled to dust when he blew right past her, almost as if he didn't even see her and when she turned, with arms still outstretched she saw him cuddling Hedwig and nuzzling her with his face. Said owl had an almost smug grin on her face even though it wasn't physically possible for said owl to grin.

Ron coughed after a minutes silence and awkwardness that involved a Hermione almost in tears, Ginny blushing furiously with arms still outstretched and Harry nuzzling his owl. He caught Harry's attention and gave him a pointed look at Hermione. It said a lot when he was the mature one. For all he knew he would be civil to Malfoy next.

Harry caught said look and nodded in understanding before clearing his throat.

"Hermione?" Harry thought he had nailed the tone and delivery and Hedwig seemed to agree as she had flown to sit on top of the cage she had been in.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice on the other hand was trembling and unsure.

"Hermione!"

"Harry!"

"HERMIONE!"

"HARRY!"

The second repetition of the cycle had her voice growing stronger as she became surer that he wasn't angry at her and by the third she rushed forward to envelop him in a bear hug that he happily returned.

"How on earth did you get here Harry? I know they were planning a rescue mission in a few days to go and get you but then you just showed up on your own?" Hermione's voice was muffled as she still had him in a bear hug and he hadn't ended the hug. She tried to wriggle her way out but his grip was steadfast and strong so she merely sighed and relaxed into the hug, figuring that she wouldn't escape until he decided to let her go. Being friends with Harry was such a pain sometimes but he was worth every second.

"I'm here to think about what I'm going to do next. I figured somewhere grim and old would help."

What.

Then almost as if they had rehearsed beforehand, everyone except for Harry sighed and shook their heads which was quite eerie for said boy as it felt like he was in a room full of bobble heads in an earthquake.

"Oh and I'm getting married."

With that cheery final blow Harry whistled for Hedwig to fly to his shoulder and he went looking for a bed to crash in, leaving a stunned group of 5 witches and wizards, the final 2 being the twins Fred and George who had arrived just in time to hear that Harry was getting married.

What.

* * *

The days flew by as the date of Harry's trial loomed ever-closer. Everyone was rushing around trying to get him prepared for his defense while Harry on the other hand was merely relaxing and lounging on wherever he felt comfortable at the moment. It was a common sight for Harry to be sitting on a chair or a landing of the stairs with his rings out and simply playing a tune, watching as the notes flew around him in a veritable storm of color.

Hermione confronted him one day, when she got tired of listening to the admittedly soothing music.

"Why aren't you more worried? You broke the Statute of Secrecy!" She demanded, practically spitting those words out at Harry who had a mouth full of bread. Quite literally as he and Ron had been having a contest about who could cram the most amount of sandwich into their mouths. Sirius and the twins were cheering from next to them at the table and Ginny was stuck between obsession, disgust and a desire to join in.

"I'm not worried because I haven't broken it." Harry's relaxed, almost callous response had Hermione's hair rising, almost like a cat.

"You cast magic in front of a muggle!"

"I cast magic in front of my cousin. Who has known about magic for quite a long time, why about 4 years in fact." Harry pointed out after wiping any crumbs from his face with a napkin while Ron was choking in the background with the twins thumping him on the back, trying to dislodge the food stuck in his throat.

"Oh." Harry took that as a victory and got up from the table and cast a triumphant smirk at Ron who had finally stopped coughing. All that got him was a tongue stuck out at him and a grin afterwards.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Harry crooned at Hermione, causing everyone to give him weird looks.

"What if it ends up like the SSS-" She was cut off from continuing by 5 hisses and a confused stare from Sirius.

"That never happened. NEVER!"

Hermione looked around for support but all the other current Gryffindors had their eyes closed and were shaking their heads, trying to suppress the incident from their minds.

"What about your upcoming marriage then? Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Harry gave her an odd look for that.

"Why would I try? It's nigh on unbreakable, the girl in question isn't that bad and if she enjoys it then she can say that she was forced and trying to make the best of it. Problem solved." He then proceeded to skip, SKIP, out of the room, leaving one knowledge deprived Hermione and 5 others shocked. It was then that Molly came back inside to start another round of cleaning.

"DAMN IT HARRY!"

* * *

The day of the trial arrived in a wave of heat and clear skies and Harry was up and dressed before anyone else in the house woke up. Idly tapping his rings, he watched the notes rise and fall before deciding on a course of action. He ghosted out the door before anyone heard him and called the Knight Bus.

Asking for the Ministry of Magic he sat down just in time before the bus went hurtling forward. A short ride later Harry was left standing outside a plain red phone booth. Deciding that it was as good a point as any he went in and picked up the receiver.

He looked at the receiver blankly, realizing that he had no idea how to get into the ministry itself and decided what the hell. He dialled 6-2-4-4-2 and was startled when it actually worked. He was prompted to state his reason for visiting and he replied truthfully.

"Harry Potter, here for a trial."

He received a badge that stated his name and reason for visiting before the booth started to sink into the ground. The booth slowly dropped to the ground and showed in its all its chaotic glory, the administrative side to the British magical world.

Harry walked up to the visitor's desk and asked for directions to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement while registering his wand. Thanking the secretary for his assistance, he breezed past before the person at the desk could realize who he was. Following the directions he ended up in an elevator that closed behind him that shot backwards and down.

Whistling cheerfully, he made his way through the bullpens until he reached the office of Madam Bones, Head of the DMLE. Knocking twice before he entered the room without waiting for a reply left him standing in front of one of the most powerful witches in the Ministry.

"Hello Madam Bones, my name is Harry Potter and I'm here for a trial apparently. Also, does the muggle in question being my cousin who knows about magic matter in any shape or form?"

Amelia Bones was flabbergasted at the brazen entry of the Boy-Who-Lived and thought that her niece's assessment of Harry was absolutely spot on. Bold and unique, uncaring about propriety yet undeniably polite. She blinked and shook her head before clearing her throat when she caught on to what he had just said.

"What. If he knows about magic then you haven't broken the Statute. Why do you ask?"

"The muggle in question was my cousin. Does that mean that I don't need to attend the trial? Great. Hopefully I won't have to see you again. Nice to meet you and all that jazz. Well bye." With that Harry pirouetted on the tips of one foot and walked back out of the office and striding back to the elevator that would take him back up to the surface.

Madam Bones merely sighed and facepalmed, both at the confidence of Harry and the amount of paperwork she would have to file over this. She pulled out a file that cleared Harry of all charges and filled it out, thinking that Fudge was way over his head when trying to deal with the Boy-Who-Lived. She prayed that she wouldn't have to deal with him too often as she felt like she needed a drink and she rarely ever drank.


End file.
